my_secret_garden
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Location: Clinton IA, Zone 5a
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Help with my strawberry patch?

I have a large strawberry patch in my backyard that runs the whole length of one side of my four-car garage. I started weeding it today because it is completely over-run and has been neglected a lot (to say the least) for the past couple of years. Anyway, they are flowering and some of the plants have some little fruits starting to bud on them. I am wondering what kind of mulch would be good to put around the strawberries to help keep the weeds under control in the future. I don't have a compost system yet because I am still working on getting the mess and weeds in my yard under control. I haven't even figured out where I might put one. But I do mulch my yard so I have grass clippings. I don't know what kinds of weeds I have growing in there besides dandilions and there are some little weeds that are all over the place and have tiny purple buds or flower type growths on them. Interspersed are also tree shoots and I don't know how to get rid of those other than to chop them with the pruning sheers. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks all!

peachguy
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:01 pm
Location: Ontario

I do now that good mulch for strawberries is either Hay, Straw or saw dust I personaly use Hey but it isn't really preety to look, I suppose you could use wood chip mulch But I am not sure on that one. Hopes this helps

grandpasrose
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Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

Hi My-Secret-Garden! You sure are doing alot of work on everything!!
I have used dry (stress dry) grass clippings in my strawberries for 15 years, and wouldn't use anything else. It's clean, isn't messy, looks relatively nice, and easy to get. Make sure it's dry though, because if you use wet clippings, they begin the decomposition process way sooner than when dry, and can actually increase the likelihood of some of your strawberries rotting.
Because you are renovating an old strawberry patch, I hope you don't mind if I pass on a couple of hints. Strawberry plants should be renewed every three years or so, as there production rate slows down. What I do is replace one third of my patch every year. What I would do in your case, is while I am going through and weeding, I would dig up and remove any plants that are looking old. They will have multiple crowns, and the crowns will have grown higher out of the ground, and they are all matted together. Just leave the ones that look like new, single plants.

Also, again because this is an old patch, before you put any mulch down, you should remove any weeds, and then spread a layer of well rotted manure around the plants (compost would be good, but you haven't reached that point yet). Make sure that you don't bury the crown of the plant, as that will kill it. Then spread your mulch.

The weeds you describe could be speedwell, oxalis, dock, or ground ivy, depending on it's growth habit. Pulling these before they can go to seed is the best way to get rid of them. If you have large patches of them without anything else growing in them to worry about, you could spray with vinegar again.

With the tree shoots, you should try and pull out as much root as possible. The root will use all of the moisture and nutrients from your strawberries, leaving you with a less than ideal strawberry crop. If you keep cutting these back, they will get the hint and go elsewhere.

Hope that helps a bit - now put your feet up for a few minutes and enjoy what you've accomplished!! :wink:

Val

my_secret_garden
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Location: Clinton IA, Zone 5a
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Val - Thanks so much for the advice. I have a LOT of work to do in the patch so hopefully I will be able to put a lot of your advice into action. I had never even thought about pulling out the old plants but of course that makes sense. I just can't believe the weed problems in this yard. It is unbelievable.

So with the tree shoots... should I let them grow up a bit and try to yank them out instead of cutting them down? I had a LOT of trouble pulling them out because some of them are really huge and were impossible to pull out. Maybe I need some kind of contraption to do this? Lol. They are everywhere in my yard. I guess it is just the kind of trees that I have.

One other thing before I put my feet up... I have about a three or four foot by two foot patch at the end of the strawberry patch that is empty (except of course the weeds) and I was thinking of planting something else there. Anything that I could plant there that would be okay to have next to the strawberries? Flowers OR veggies, fruit, whatever. Maybe something low matienence? :)

grandpasrose
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Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:21 pm
Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

Well, once you've dealt with those nasty weeds, the companion plantings that strawberries prefer are bush beans, lettuce, spinach, and borage. Marigolds, pyrethrum, and white hellabore are good insect preventatives for strawberries.
NOW, go put your feet up!!! :lol:

Val

my_secret_garden
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Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:09 am
Location: Clinton IA, Zone 5a
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Hey. I like lettuce and spinach. :) Do those grow okay in my climate zone? I am in Eastern Iowa. I think I have grown cabbage before with my mom... lol.. but that is about it. I laugh because I remember making my mom a big salad out of what I thought was lettuce but it was really cabbage. Of course she pretended to like it.

my_secret_garden
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Location: Clinton IA, Zone 5a
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grandpasrose wrote: I have used dry (stress dry) grass clippings in my strawberries for 15 years, and wouldn't use anything else. It's clean, isn't messy, looks relatively nice, and easy to get. Make sure it's dry though, because if you use wet clippings, they begin the decomposition process way sooner than when dry, and can actually increase the likelihood of some of your strawberries rotting.
I don't have a bagger for my lawn mower. How could I go about gathering clippings? Just rake them up maybe? And how could I dry them? Thanks, Val. :)

grandpasrose
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Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:21 pm
Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

I get my biggest batch of dry grass mulch in the spring, when the lawns are all de-thatched, and all the dead grass is brought out of the lawn. Then during the summer, we have sweeper behind our lawn tractor that picks up the grass.
When you mow your lawn, leave the clippings laying on the lawn for a day or so, if it's not raining, and then rake them up. Then spread it right away. Don't leave them in a pile or they will begin to compost and heat up, and putting them in amongst your plants then would burn them.

Have fun!! :wink:

Val

my_secret_garden
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Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:09 am
Location: Clinton IA, Zone 5a
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That makes sense. Thanks Val! I will let you know how it goes. :)

grandpasrose
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Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:21 pm
Location: Quesnel, BC, Canada - Zone 4a

No problem!! Enjoy your strawberries and let us know how your patch turns out!! :wink:

Val



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